Noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) are primary concerns of automobile manufacturers. NVH analyzers have been used to isolate and diagnose the sources of sound and vibration attributed to various components of the vehicle, such as power train components, engine, transmission, drive train, drive shafts, flexible joints, bearings, the wheels and tires, as well as air leak from the passenger compartment.
Some such analyzers are disclosed in United States Patent Application Publication No. US2004/0243351 to Calkins et al and United States Patent Application Publication No. US2005/0066730 to Raichle. Another such system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,290 to Murakami et al. Another such analyzer is disclosed in United States Patent Application Publication No. US2005/0125117 to Breed. The Breed application discloses a vehicle information and monitoring system and method. In Breed, a plurality of sensors may be used to monitor various vehicle systems. Typically, the sensors include those already available on a vehicle.
One limitation on each of the systems provided is that the systems are designed to monitor and analyze instant conditions of the vehicle. None of the systems disclose the use of long term data collection for providing information to the manufacturer regarding long term performance of the vehicle.
It is particularly beneficial to a vehicle manufacturer to have long term NVH data available to aid in designing future NVH abatement systems. More specifically, by knowing the sources of noise and vibration over a long period of time will help focus manufacturers to develop further NVH abatement technologies